Cabinet takes up Channel 4 allegations; Premadasa asks for international probe

By Saman Indrajith

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday in Parliament called for an international probe into the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019.

“The Sri Lankan government should be ashamed that a disclosure has been made on the Easter Sunday attacks. The government should have come up with a disclosure instead. An international-level probe into the Channel 4 disclosure is a must. One Minister said today that Archbishop of Colombo Malcom Cardinal Ranjith could have been involved in the attacks. He insulted the Cardinal. The Minister also said that the Cardinal had asked the people to vote against me. There is no issue with this. I don’t mind if the Cardinal asked the public to vote against me at the 2019 presidential election.”

Premadasa said that a domestic investigation into Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bombings would never help uncover the mastermind behind the attacks. “It is a shame that a foreign investigation and foreign media outlet has asked our officials to find the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks. I don’t believe the mastermind can be found in a domestic investigation. The task requires an international investigation.

Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said that the Cabinet of ministers had proposed on Monday that a fresh report be submitted to a parliamentary select committee on the attacks. “The Cabinet also discussed government assistance in the event an international investigation was needed. This government will in no way hesitate to act. Channel 4 videos like this come out ahead of United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva.”